LEXINGTON, Ky. — Zakai Zeigler was the lone ranger on a 2-1 fast break for UCLA late in the game. He jabbed towards the ball handler, baiting him into a pass. The crafty point guard intercepted the pass with a wide smile. Tennessee’s defense tormented UCLA in the second half on its way to a 67-58 and the program’s third straight trip to the Sweet 16.
Here’s three quick takeaways on how the Vols got it done.
Offense Hard To Come By Inside The Arc
In recent games, Tennessee basketball has found ways to more consistently score from inside the arc after that was a problem for much of the season.
But against UCLA, the Vols struggled to create offense inside the arc. Led by the 7-foot-3 Aday Mara, UCLA did an elite job of defending the rim. Elsewhere, Tennessee struggled to get open midrange jumpers with Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey curling off pin down screens.
Then even on the perimeter, UCLA’s guard made it harder than most do on Zakai Zeigler to get downhill to create open shots for himself or his teammates at the rim.
In the first half, Tennessee shot just five-of-16 from two-point range with two of the five baskets coming in transition and another on a put back. But when the Bruins’ defense was set, Tennessee had a very hard time penetrating and getting open looks that weren’t from three-point range.
Tennessee found a way to get more interior scoring in the second half but it was really the seven second half triples that jolted the Vols’ offense.
Tennessee Dominates The Middle 10
Winning the game’s middle 10 minutes is a concept usually reserved for football games. But Tennessee made it highly significant on the hardwood on Saturday night.
UCLA had led for the vast majority of the first half and held a two-point lead with four minutes to play in the first half. That’s when Tennessee’s defense took it up to overdrive. The Vols held UCLA to just two points in the final stretch of the first half and found a way to get some huge buckets.
Equally important was the Vols ability to find some offense during that stretch. Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey each hit free throws, Gainey hit a triple and Lanier got a steal and three the old fashioned way out of a 1-2-2 press that gave UCLA fits in the first half. Tennessee’s 11-2 run to close the first half gave them a seven-point advantage at the break.
The second half started like the first half ended. UCLA turned it over on the opening possession and Zakai Zeigler got three points the old fashioned way. That sequence jumpstarted a 14-6 run for Tennessee over the first 5:54 of second half.
By the time Gainey and Lanier hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions to end that run, Tennessee led by 15 points and would never look back. It was a 25-8 run around the game’s middle 9:29.
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Tennessee’s Front Court Deserves A Ton Of Praise
Tennessee’s backcourt drives the bus. And Zakai Zeigler (15 points, 6 assists), Lanier (20 points) and Gainey (13 points) all played well for the Vols.
But it was Tennessee’s front court that made sure they knocked off UCLA with the ease that they did. The Vols have struggled inside, particularly rebounding the basketball in recent games. UCLA is a team that wins with a strong front court. Tennessee’s met the challenge.
Igor Milicic, Cade Phillips and Felix Okpara didn’t do anything spectacular offensively but Tennessee didn’t need them to. What Tennessee needed from them is what they did, played great defense and rebounded the ball well.
The trio led a 36-26 rebounding advantage for Tennessee including 12-10 on the offensive end. All three recorded six-plus rebounds including seven from Milicic who the Vols badly needed to get back to rebounding like he did early in the season.
After UCLA’s front court duo of Tyler Bilodeau and Aday Mara got off to a hot start, Tennessee shut them down in the second half as the duo combined for just eight points. The trio in Tennessee’s front court wasn’t dominant but they did exactly what the Vols needed.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee advances to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season. The Vols will face either three-seed Kentucky or six-seed Illinois on Friday night in Indianapolis.
